Hi sister...

Lili sat locked in her own room. Finally, she had some time for herself. No training, no studying, no worrying about anyone.

Max went off to brave the battle with Azazel, and Synthi slept politely drugged. Today, she was relieved by people from the Hunters' Association to take care of Ramiel's former friend.

If they were sent by Magnus from the association, it means they are trustworthy.

Lili had a lot of things planned... but for several hours she had done nothing but sit and look at the ring on the middle finger of her right hand.

Her heart was torn by doubts. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see what such a thing Ramiel had to say to her....

No...

That's not it... Lili wasn't honest with herself... In truth, she was afraid of confronting her own emotions.

She was afraid that it was wrong to isolate Ramiel... She was afraid that she would subconsciously admit that she was wrong...

After all, blaming someone for mistakes is easier than facing the sad truth...

What if... she wasn't right?

Would she be able to forgive herself for the terrible things she did to Ramiel?

Would she be able to look in the mirror and greet another day with a smile, with the thought in the back of her mind that she had ordered the only person who cared about her to kill herself?

The answer is simple...

She wouldn't be able to. Lili knew this all along, but she denies the truth and doesn't let it sink in.

" It can't be that bad, right? If I want to become a hunter... more difficult things will be waiting for me... "

Lili didn't even know how wrong she could be.

Manipulating the mana particles, she inserted them into the ring, just as Max had taught her. The gemstones devoured the mana like crazy, emitting a subtle glow in the meantime.

" That's... that much? "

Lili immediately regretted her words. Within a second, she was blinded by a cascade of colors.

When her eyes stopped pinching and she regained her sight, she realized that the place she was in was no longer her room.

Lili was literally standing in space. Tens of thousands of doors with wooden plaques surrounded her on all sides.

Of the stranger things, she could still name a couch standing in the middle, on which two small boxes lay.

" Emm... Hello? Is anyone here? " Lili's voice carried across the empty space. The woman waited and waited, but received no answer.

Having no better idea, Lili made her way to the lone-standing couch. A chair appeared next to the woman, created entirely out of space mist, as soon as she approached the furniture at a distance of two meters.

" I think I am supposed to sit on it... ".

Lili's suspicion proved correct. Moments after she sat down comfortably, a person she hadn't thought she would ever see again of her own free will appeared on the couch.

A tall and handsome man with happy and amethyst eyes was fixing his hairstyle. His imprint-covered hands combed through the black hair with white tips.

The resemblance between the two siblings was striking. Only a blind man, could question their family ties.

" One, two, one, one, two, one, two, two, one, two, two, one, two, one, two, try, one, two... I think it works... ".

Lili sat as if frozen. Suddenly she felt herself getting weak. Seeing and hearing her brother, whom she subconsciously missed, awakened emotions she thought had died long ago.

" It wouldn't hurt to check," she said. "

The image blinked after Ramiel's words. A few seconds later, the man reappeared, this time with elegantly styled hair.

" Hello Lili... it's been a long time since we've seen each other... or rather, you haven't seen me... " Ramiel laughed stupidly, fiddling nervously with his fingers in the meantime.

" I don't even know where to begin... " The man was barely visible chewing on his lower lip. In his eyes, Lili saw fear and a hint of uncertainty.

" Before you start yelling at me, calling me names, hitting me, or whatever comes to your mind... then don't waste your nerves on this... as you may or may not have noticed.... is a message recorded by me... or I am the message... Sigh... It's hard to explain. "

" So... if it makes you feel any better, I promise you'll have a chance to tell me what you think of me later... "

An embarrassed Ramiel scratched the back of his neck. At first glance, it is clear that the man is stressed, and a lot of it.

A heavy sigh escaped the man's lips.

" I don't even know where to start ... Maybe from the beginning ... ".

" If you sit here and listen to me... Ugh, fuck it. I had a script prepared beforehand, but as usual, I lost it... You don't even know how stupid it feels to sit here and talk to yourself... "

Lili smiled shyly. Ever since she could remember, Ramiel liked to lose his things and then put the house upside down to find them.

" Sigh... I don't know who you received the ring from, or if Magnus explained everything to you, but it is part of the inheritance I left for you. If you accepted what I left you in my will, that's great, I'm very happy... at least I didn't screw it up... "

" As far as I remember, and I'm recording this on 22.02.2023, you live a normal life and don't even think about becoming a hunter... But if you change your mind... then I leave you everything. Literally everything. If not, ignore this part... "

" I don't know if you're going to use this or not... but all my knowledge and experience is in here. Starting with how to deal with specific monsters, and ending with the cultivation method. "

" If you take the first step on the path of the hunter, you will learn that learning about mana and elements is the absolute basis. Understanding, of a particular field, differs from person to person. "

" Not always will person A understand an element in the same way as person B. I have no idea if my lessons will reach you in any way, and you will understand their message. But you shouldn't have a problem with it. For as long as I can remember, we have thought alike and seen the world in the same shades of gray. One more thing, courtesy of Azazel, time passes a hundred times faster here than on Earth, but your cells age normally, so... you don't have to be afraid that you will suddenly come out as an old woman."

" Hmm... of the more important things... The first door is the most important of all, if you haven't accepted any of the inheritance stuff. There are hidden bank accounts, along with access codes, set up in your name. Such a little safety net... should you ever slip up in life. "

Ramiel breathed a sigh of relief.

" Well... that would be so much for simpler things. " The man lowered his gaze for a moment whispering quietly. This didn't last long. After a few minutes, Ramiel raised his head, and a complicated expression adorned his face.

" As I mentioned earlier, the ring is a kind of protection. Lately, I've been feeling worse and worse, I'm constantly tired, I lack the strength to do anything, in the dungeons I get sudden dizziness... generally it's bad with me... "

Ramiel took a brief pause. Sorrow and despondency were painted in his eyes.

" So... Sigh... So if you're listening to me... then most likely we won't see each other again... or I won't see you... I just hope I didn't die in some idiotic way..."

" Can you take this as our goodbye? I think so... people don't usually come back from the dead..."

Lili felt her heart squeeze with grief and guilt. The sight of her depressed brother, acted on her as she predicted. Her eyes traveled to Ramiel's hands, who, to defuse his emotions, was once again playing with his fingers. One look into his eyes was enough to realize that something was gnawing at him.

" Listen, what I want to tell you ... is why I'm doing this ... I ... I just don't want you to stay alone in a world that sucks. "

" I'm terribly sorry that things turned out the way they did..."

Ramiel fell silent, and his eyes glazed over. A lone tear ran down his cheek.

" It's not easy for me to talk about it ... Unlike you, I didn't cope so well with the death of my parents ... " he said.

" ... " - Lili

" I hope Lili that you will somehow arrange your life and, above all, be happy in it ... I wish you that with all my heart ... " ... "

A sad smile dawned on Ramiel's usually amused face. Not so, remembered Lili

" Maybe it's ridiculous and I don't deserve it, but I'd like to see you in the future in a white dress and with a little scrappy kid who calls me uncle... As I think now, the issue of children is one of the few topics on which we had a difference of opinion... "

" But... well... but... " Ramiel's words carried a depressed and gloomy mood. Lili could even feel the pain her brother had suffered for so many years.

" If there's anything I regret, it's that I couldn't spend more time with you... I don't know if you know... but I never left you alone... As much as I could... I tried, to find out how you were doing... what was going on with you... and if you have any problems... You can call me a stalker... and a freak... but I was worried about you, okay?

Ramiel's voice began to tremble and break.

" You don't even know ... how proud I was of you when you received a certificate of distinction at the end of high school ... To this day I remember your stumble on the way to get your diploma ... ".

" By the way... I don't know which friend hinted to you that you would look good in a blue dress... but don't do it again... The blue color didn't suit Ceti and it doesn't suit you either... If you're wondering where it's gone... don't look for it... of course, I mean the dress... I'm just getting rid of the intrusive guys who reign around you."

Lili laughed through her tears. She tried not to let the eruption, born inside her feelings, but... as you can guess, it didn't work out too well for her...

" I would forget... for God's sake, get rid of the habit, of getting drunk to the point of unconsciousness with "friends...." Take my word for it... The world isn't the best place for... a beautiful...smart, and young woman in the middle of the night... Especially when she... loses her guardian angel... "

Through the tears squeezing into the daylight, Lili noticed a colorful bracelet on Ramiel's left wrist. The man, during the recording, often reached in that direction.

It was a sixteenth birthday present from Lili. It wasn't a masterpiece, nor was it expensive. Just a simple woven bracelet that Lili had poured her heart into making.

Despite its simplicity, Ramiel kept it with him at all times. It meant a lot to him. It reminded him of happy moments and memories when everything was easier and simpler.

" Stop... " 

Lili couldn't take it anymore. Guilt was eating her up from the inside. The realization of the harm she had done to her brother hurt like hell.

" Please... Stop... "

Ramiel didn't stop. He couldn't do it. He was simply a recorded message that would disappear when her task was over.

" One more thing before I forget. When I die, someone like Max, or Verdia, may show up on your doorstep and offer to help. Do one last thing for me and accept it... I asked them to take care of you when I'm gone. "

" Ram ... please ... stop ... ".

" I know, I know, I know, you're an adult and you don't need a nanny... " Ramiel suddenly became gloomy, and shy rays of doom danced in his eyes.

" But trust me... a lot of people don't like me... and even more don't see me... Sigh... I'm just afraid that you'll get hurt if I'm not around you... ".

Ramiel's hands clenched tighter around his wrists.

" I'm sorry... that I didn't deal with them when I could still do it..."

" Well... I guess it's over? I think so... Mmm... I'd like to tell you about so many things and places I visited and saw... but I don't have time for that... "

" I'm sorry Lili... I hope you will put your life together. "

The figure representing Ramiel turned into a space nebula, which was lost in the depths of space.

Lili sat and wiped the tears that escaped from her bright purple eyes without help. Her psyche lay broken like shattered glass. In a matter of minutes or so, she was confronted with reality and the truth, which she tried to avoid at all costs....

" Idiot ... ".

As you can see, she didn't tolerate the collision with the brutal truth well.

" I would have forgotten... I have prepared three last gifts for you. In the box on the left you will find a ring I created. I don't want to brag, but it is my best masterpiece. I won't bore you with the process of magic metallurgy, runes, circles, and the like. I'll just outline what it does. "

" Stop... Ram... Stop... This is - This is too much..."

" If, for example, someone as strong as me, or stronger, wants to kill you, pour mana into him. The ring will shatter into a fine poppy, but I will appear... Not literally me, because I'm dead... probably... but it will be a specter of my past. You will be given a Faithful guard for five minutes, who will destroy everything you command him, or buy time to escape. Don't waste this goblin... or any other low-level monster... You will bring literally me, in my strongest form. "

" In the second box, you will find a ring, the contents of which are a surprise. I worked a lot on it, so I hope you will at least use it... "

" As for the third gift... Remember how I said at the beginning that you will be able to do whatever you want with me? "

Ramiel sighed heavily.

" It's embarrassing to ask rhetorical questions without seeing the other party's reaction... If you open the door with the number two, my clone will appear for ten minutes at a time. You can do whatever you want with him. I'll put it there when I'm done recording. "

" It will possess all my memories up to today... so, can you say that it will practically be me? I think so... You can do anything with it, but if you decide to be a hunter, I would keep it when you encounter a problem understanding an element, or try to develop a new spell. I don't want to brag, but I'm supposedly a genius. "

" Finally, I have one last request. Even if you hate me, take a look at the second ring. I really worked on it, and you might like the surprise. "

" Goodbye, Lili. "

Ramiel said goodbye with the sincerest smile he could muster...